New York Writer

How to Make Time for Reading

Reading is one of my favorite hobbies, but during my first few years living in New York City, I found that I was hardly reading at all, except for when a new book came out in a series I was already following. I’m always hearing about new (and old) good books to check out, so a few years ago I resolved to spend more time reading. First, I cleaned up my Amazon wishlist and checked out the recommendations. Then, I put some books on hold at the library, so when they came in I would have to go to pick them up and have read them by their due date. It doesn’t always work, but it sometimes does.

Even though I still feel overwhelmed by how much I would like to read vs. how much I actually do read, I’ve noticed a few things that have helped me to read more:

Get in bed before your bedtime. Sometimes you’ll end up falling asleep, sometimes you’ll end up reading.

Use an e-reader. For some reason, I find I have been reading faster since I’ve been downloading books vs. reading paper books. It’s a personal preference, but an e-reader is lighter to carry.

Read on your lunch hour. Find a comfy spot!

Read during your commute. It seems obvious, but a lot of people just play on their phones or send texts. I have a solid half hour to read twice a day, and it adds up. Audiobooks also work well, especially on road trips.

Join Goodreads. There’s something really satisfying about being able to update my reading progress on a book, even if no one sees it, and no matter how small. Goodreads is the MapMyRun of reading. (Find me here).

Sometimes I get annoyed when I’m gushing about a book to a person who says that they just don’t have time to read. -side eye- And although even I often wonder how book reviewers and bloggers manage to read so much, I came across an blogger who gets exactly how I feel. April’s post at Good Books and Good Wine has several useful tips for reading as well. So do the comments. Dude, You TOTALLY Have Time To Read